This new, mixed-use building will redefine a mid-block, urban void on Folsom Street in San Francisco, at the crossroads between the working-class Mission district and the warehouses of SoMa. The building shell will house two symbiotic uses: The transparent, fluid space at the street will be a new restaurant and bar; this abuts the industrial “host” building, which will serve as a production facility for off-site events.

The 8,600 square foot restaurant is envisioned as an urban “aquarium,” animated by patrons behind a façade of gridded glass. Passersby and freeway drivers will see the sinuous, looping floor plane wind to a series of elevated mezzanines before bursting through the roof. Floors will become ceilings, walls will melt away, and drinking bars will emerge and cantilever outward to support the crowd. Participants will be carried through a series of experiences ranging from the intimate to the vast.

The site’s industrial heritage is being maintained and strengthened to create a backdrop for this moment. The iconic building will respond to its changing neighborhood, engaging it in a dialogue of desire.